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Ravens Name 2008 Community Quarterback Award Winners

The Baltimore Ravens named three outstanding community volunteers as the 2008 Community Quarterback Award recipients. The award, funded by NFL Charities and the Ravens All Community Team Foundation (RACTF), recognizes outstanding volunteers who demonstrate leadership, dedication and a commitment to bettering their communities.

The 2008 Community Quarterbacks were saluted at the Ravens' victory over the Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 7. The honorees received Ravens apparel, autographed items, a commemorative plaque, a personalized jersey and a $2,500 check for their respective nonprofit organization.

The honorees and their accomplishments are listed below.

Lindsay Chetelat, Ocean City Maryland Chapter Surfrider Organization
In addition to being a standout student athlete at Stephen Decatur High School, Lindsay has a passion for serving her community. Whether she is participating in environmental awareness programs, developing a natural wetlands garden or teaching senior citizens in a computer instruction workshop, Lindsay has been making an impact in her community since elementary school. The three-sport athlete is ranked in the top 1% of her class and has been named First-Team All-State in cross-country three consecutive years.

Reverend Jack Sharp, Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation
Reverend Sharp was the founding president of GEDCO in 1991 and has been influencing affordable housing, mental illness and ecumenical cooperation in Baltimore since. To combat hunger and eviction, Sharp organized CARES, a community food pantry and emergency financial assistance in Govans that now serves more than 4,500 individuals each year. Sharp has also enabled low income elderly individuals to live safely and independently through his development of Epiphany House, Gallagher Mansion and Stadium Place.

Polly Winde Surhoff, Pathfinders for Autism
In February 2000, Polly Winde Surhoff helped establish Pathfinders for Autism. She has served on the Board of Directors and has become a very influential advocate for the nonprofit over the past eight years. Surhoff has held fundraising roles and raised over a quarter of a million dollars for research and the establishment of the Pathfiners for Autism Resource Center. In her first year, Polly raised $150,000 for Pathfinders, which enabled a federal study to advance autism research and treatment at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Polly's financial support has also allowed Pathfinders to fund a graduate fellowship at KKI. Surhoff and her teenage son, who has autism, also testified in support of early detection legislation that authorized a three-year pilot program to train pediatricians in the early detection of autism.

Due to the overwhelming response and competitiveness of applications, the Ravens chose six additional individuals who will each receive a $1,000 grant for their respective nonprofit organizations.